Electrical receptacle



F. J. HINES ELECTRICAL RECEPTACLE Sept. 15, 1931.

Filed March 7, 1928 INVENTOR flan/cps Z'Jiwws I ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 15, 1931 PATENT OFFICE FRANCIS J. HINES, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK ELECTRICAL RECEPTACLE A Application filed March 7, 1928. Serial No. 259,827.

My invention relates to what are commonly termed wall or base receptacles of the type of my former Patents 1,528,614 and 1,645,950.

The present invention has for its main object the simplification of the construction,v

assembly and wiring arrangements of my former patents. In these constructions provision is made for the connection of several conductors to each plug contact without the necessity of soldering, splicing or taping.

. One of the objects of my present invention is to provide a construction which may be made more cheaply and more readily assembled.

Another object is to provide a duplex type of receptacle with a maximum spread or separation of the binding screws.

Another object is to provide a construction of this character which is applicable to different types of hangers.

According to my present invention the body of the receptacle is formed of two parts, namely, a base and a top. The base is provided with recesses for the plug contacts and is cut away at the sides to receive bus bars which carry the contacta The cover is provided with passa es "for the blades of attachment plugs o? the usual type. The two parts of the body are held together by one or more screws or rivets which may also serve to secure the hanger or bracket. The bus bars and their binding screws are exposed and readily accessible in recesses along the opposite sides of the receptacle.

Fig. 1 is a side view and partial section of one form of receptacle embodying improvements of my invention.

' Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the same on the plane of the line 22 of Fig. 1.

3 is a transverse sectional view on the plane of the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. lis a perspective view of the base with one of the bus bars and its contacts removed.

Fig. 5 is a-view of the top or cover plate viewed from the underside.

base and that when the cover -is applied the Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detailed side view of a modification.

The base 7 and the cover 8 are formed of any suitable insulating material and may be conveniently secured together by a rivet 9. The base may be provided with a recess 10 to receive a boss 11 on the underside of the cover to aid in preventing relative movement of the parts.

The base is cut away at the sides to provide recesses 12 for the bus bars 13, 13. Each bus bar has one or more spring contacts 14.- for the usual attachment plug blades. "These contacts may be secured to the bus bar in any suitable manner by brazing, soldering, riveting or may be formed integral therewith. The base is provided with recesses 15 which open from the top and are adapted to receive the ends of the bus bars as well as the contacts.

These recesses are so formed and located that the bottom 16 supports the'edge 17 of the bus bar and thewall 18 affords lateral support for the outer side of the bus bar, while the wall 19 affords a support for the inner wall of the bus bar. The bus bar is provided with a number of binding screws 20, preferably four of them, and the base is provided with recesses 21 for the inner ends of these bindings screws. Bus bars may also be provided with lugs22 to assist in holding the ends of the conductors..

It will thus be seen that the bus bars with their contacts can be readily inserted in the conducting parts are'held securely in position by being clamped between the cover and H16 base of the body, since the cover rests on the upper edges of the bus bars.

It will also be seen that the binding screws are readily accessible from the and that the conducting wires can be readily led up to the bus-bars from the back of the receptacle. a

The top plate or cover 8 is provided with passages 24 for the blades of the usual attachment plugs. It will be understood that the shape and arrangement of these passages 24 as well as the contacts 14 will be such as to accommodate the desired type of plug.

The cover may also have extension recesses 25 to accommodate the outer inclined ends of the contacts 14.

The receptacle may be provided with suitable supporting means in the form of a onepiece or two-piece hanger. In Fig. 1 I have shown a hanger or bracket having a bottom strap 26 which affords a convenient anchorage for the rivet 9. The sides 27 are preferably let into recesses 28 in the ends of the base 7 and cover 8 and terminate in lugs 29 suitable for attachment to the usual metal box, etc. The central rivet 9 may be tubular and provided with a screw threaded portion 30 for attachment of the usual face plate (not shown).

In the form shown in Fig. 6, the two parts of the body are secured together by a screw or rivet 31 and the hanger brackets 32 are secured by independent screws 33.

' It will be noted that the parts of the body are so designed that they may be readily made in the simplest kind of dies since they require no side plungers in their formation.

It will also be seen that both parts of the body are of rugged construction and not easily broken.

It will also be seen that the bus bars are secured in position so as to afford maximum strength and rigidity for a minimum thickness of metal.

It will be understood that other changes in construction and arrangement may be made within the scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. An electrical receptacle comprising a body having side recesses with contact recesses at opposite ends thereof, bus bars having their ends supported in the bottoms of said contact recesses, contacts secured to the ends of said bus bars in said contact recesses, a U-shaped' hanger having side arms set into recesses in the ends of the body and a cover plate having passages for attachment plug blades in line with said contacts.

2. An electrical receptacle comprising a body formed of a base and a separate cover plate, the base having recessesin its opposite sidesopening at the back and said base having contact recesses opening at the front with side entrances communicating with the ends of the side recesses, a bus bar mounted in each side recess with its ends supported in the contact recesses and spring contact members carried by the ends of the bus bars in said contact recesses, said cover plate overlapping the outer edges of said bus bars and provided with passages for attachment plug blades in line with said contact recesses.

3. An electrical receptacle comprising an insulating base with a recess at each side opening at the front, side and back and having an additional recess at each end on each side of the center line opening at the front of the base and communicating with the side recesses, and having screw receiving slots opening toward the front and toward the sides, bus bars in the side recesses with their ends supported in the end recesses and each having a series of binding screws accessible from the sides with their inner ends in said screw receiving slots, each .bus bar having at least one contact secured to it and insertable into the base from the front with the bus bar, and a cover plate holding the bus bars and contacts in place and having passages in line with the contacts.

4. An electrical receptacle comprising an insulating base having recesses opening at the front with side recesses communicating therewith, flat bus bars insertible edgewise into said recesses from the front and having contacts secured to the bus bars and insertible and removable therewith, each bus bar having a series of binding screws whose heads are accessible fromthe sides and a coverplate secured to the base and having passages for attachment plug blades in line with the contacts in the base.

5. An electrical receptacle comprising a body formed of a base part and a top part, the top part having flanges overlapping the sides of the base part, bus bars mounted on edge between the two partsof the body on opposite sides of the center and each having at least one contact within the body insert-ed from the front of the base, said body having passages through the top of the body and each bar having a plurality of binding screws accessible from one side of the body, the opposite ends of the bars being secured in the body by the securing of the top to the base, and means for securing the top to the base after the bus bars and the contacts have been inserted in the base.

6. An electrical receptacle comprising a body formed of a base and a top, the top having flanges overlapping the sides of the base, bus bars mounted on edge in the base between the base and the top, one on each side of the center. and each havin a contact on each end within the body an accessible through passages in the top of the body and each having a plurality of binding screws accessible from one side of the body, said bus bars being secured at their outer ends only with the edges of their central portions exposed toward the rear, and means for securing the top to the base after the bus bars and the contacts have been inserted in the base.

7. An electrical receptacle comprising a body having a recess in each side open toward the rear and recesses at each end and on opposite sides, and a bus bar arranged on edge at each side of the center with its. ends positioned in the respective recesses, a contact member carried by each bus bar, the rear edge of the bus bar being exposed along its central portion to facilitate wiring said body having passages for plug blades leading to said contact members and each bus bar having a number of terminal screws accessible from the respective sides of the receptacle.

8. In an electrical receptacle, a metallic supporting member havin means for attachment to an outlet box, insulating means secured to said supporting member and having pairs of recesses at opposite ends of the receptacle each'recess having a lateral slot, abus bar arranged on edge at each side of the receptacle with its ends extending through two of said slots and into recesses at one side of the receptacle, contacts carried by the opposite ends of said bus bars and insertable into said recesses respectively and a .number of screws in each bus bar readily accessible at the sides the rear edge of each bus bar being exposed at the rear to facilitate wiring.

9. An electrical plug-receiving receptacle comprising a base formed of molded insulating materlal closed at the back and having contact-receiving recesses in each end on each side of the longitudinal center open toward the front and terminal recesses at the center of each side with slots communicating with the contact-receiving recesses on the same side, a flat conductor bar havin spring contact fingers at opposite ends 0 set inwardly from one side toward the center line and inserted edgewise into the slots on each side, said bars being held between the outer side walls of the base and the inner edges 3 of the slots, a cover plate having openings for plug blades in line with said contact fingers, means for securing the cover plate to the base and means for securing the receptacle to a support.

FRANCIS J. HINES.

DISCLAIM ER 1,823,143.F1 ancis J. Hines, Brooklyn, N. Y. ELECTRICAL RECEPTACLE. Petent dated September 15, 1931. Disclaimer filed May 3, 1938, by the asslgnee, Hines Electrical Specialties, Inc.

Hereby enters this disclaimer to claims 7 and 8 of said Letters Patent.

[Ofiic'lal Gazette May 31, 1938.] 

